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Sunday, May 8, 2016

China's Breakout Star, Liu Wen

Liu Wen.

Liu Wen. If you haven't heard of Liu, you're probably not Chinese. She is widely considered to be China's first true supermodel, and is well known by the country's billion-plus people. Liu also happens to be one of the highest-paid models in the world, and that's probably not a coincidence.

People on social media love Liu, and she has branched out into all sorts of different segments of the Asian media market.

Let's learn a little bit more about the fascinating Liu Wen.

Liu is from a humble background. Born on 27 January 1988 in Yongzhou, Hunan, Liu Wen entered a modeling contest at her mother's suggestion.

Not surprisingly given her classic looks, Liu Wen was discovered at the contest - it was the summer 2005 New Silk Road World Model Contest - even though she did not win it. Many, many top models owe their careers to entering a contest and losing it.

Liu started getting assignments soon afterwards with the likes of the Chinese editions of Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.

Liu's model card.

Liu's breakout moment was when she was noticed for an editorial she shot with Karl Lagerfeld and Viktor and Rolf. That led to an invitation to Paris in 2008 for Paris Fashion Week.

After that, Liu was on a role. She debuted in Milan in February 2008 and in New York in 2009.

Liu walked in the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. She was the first Chinese to appear in it. She followed that up with another appearance in the 2010 show. And the 2011 show. And the 2012 show.

Liu Wen walking in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

With Victoria's Secret expanding into China and holding its 2017 Fashion Show in Shanghai, it wouldn't be a shocker if Liu Wen walked in the 2017 show, too - if she wants to, that is. We shall see.

Covers can tell a lot about a top model. By now, Liu has a ton of covers. Below is a sample from recent years. You'll notice that China is on there quite a bit:

2017

March Vogue USA, Elle China

2016

December Vogue China

October Vogue Italy

September The Edit

March Elle China

2015

October T - The New York Times Style - China

September Vogue China

August Modern Weekly

June Elle China, Elle China

May OK! Magazine China

April Vogue Japan

March Harper's Bazaar China, Harper's Bazaar China

Below is a sample of Liu's covers from her first few years, which makes Liu Wen's base of popularity a bit plainer. With Liu Wen, her popularity base obviously is China, where she has a phenomenal nine (9) Vogue covers:

Liu's honors include being on the first Numero China cover. It was the first time ever that a Numero premiere issue did not feature Kate Moss.

Liu Wen is approaching the top of the model heap in terms of the amount of money that she pulls in every year. She regularly makes the Forbes list of the world's highest-paid models, and top models make a lot of money. In 2016 alone, Liu Wen made an estimated $7 million. That isn't exactly Gisele Bündchen territory (who has been known to make upwards of $40 million) - but that ain't beanbag, either. Liu Wen made similar amounts in 2015, 2014, 2013....

Believe me... any time you are on any Forbes list, life is good. Believe me.

Liu wore an Apple Watch on a Vogue China cover. It was considered a breakthrough moment for the crossover between fashion and Technology.

Liu has branched out into other areas. She says that she would like to be an actress.

Liu appears on the Chinese reality television show, "We’re in Love." Wen is paired with Korean celebrity Siwon for the show, which requires the duo to complete tasks while pretending to be a couple in love.

Liu also says that she would like to become a stylist or fashion designer someday.

Liu considers her own personal style to be "tomboyish, vintage and comfortable."

Liu is great friends with Joan Smalls, Constance Jablonski and Lindsey Wixson, all of whom she has worked with before.

Liu currently also has over 60k followers on Twitter - probably many more by the time you read this.

A lot of the personal photos that Liu posts on her accounts are very artistic. She has a good eye as a photographer.

The New York Times called Liu a supermodel in 2012. Now, the New York Times alone doesn't exactly decide such things, but it is very close to the fashion scene and makes or breaks models' careers (Jaime King owes a lot to it, for instance). So, what the New York Times says about a specific model is worth mentioning. In this case, the NY Times seems to have been spot on.

OK! China soon followed the New York Times' lead. It crowned Wen as the first Asian supermodel in its April 2013 issue.

I feel the most beautiful when I’m the most relaxed—for example, after a productive day of work or during a comfortable, rested afternoon. But I also feel great when I reunite with friends after a long time. When my inner mood is positive, I also feel great on the outside.